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History

Bates Container began over 40 years ago in a small metal building in Burleson, Texas. In December, 1963, Warren Bates started designing and building box-making machinery while Hardy Sanders solicited customers and handled the administrative side of the business. The young company differentiated itself early as an innovative organization that was focused on creative design and service to meet customers' needs. One of the first examples of this was Bates' creation of a unique bread-box and the subsequent awarding of a patent for this design.

In 1967, Bates Container was faced with overwhelming financial turmoil. As a result Warren and Hardy, in order to survive, sold 1/3 of the company to Leon Kobey of Kobey's Shoestring Potatoes in Denver, Colorado. After several long years of hard work and continued commitment to customer service, Warren and Hardy were able to repay Mr. Kobey and regain complete ownership of the company. Not long afterwards, Bates Container was able to receive financial backing from Haltom City State Bank. The company was off and running.

As Bates Container continued to grow throughout the late sixties and seventies, additional facilities were needed to keep up with demand. In 1976, after a couple of moves, Warren and Hardy decided to build a state-of-the-art facility that would be able to handle all of the company's needs and any future expansion. This new plant was located in North Richland Hills, a small town northeast of Fort Worth. At that time Bates Container was considered by most to be "in the country." In 1980, Bates enlarged the original 90,000 sq. ft. plant to include a corrugating facility. Five years later, in 1985, Bates expanded again and enlarged the shipping facility. Currently, there are approximately 190,000 sq. ft. of operating space in the Bates Container plant in North Richland Hills, TX.

As Bates' North Texas base continued to expand, the company saw an opportunity to compete in the burgeoning South Texas and Mexico markets. In 1990, Bates opened a second plant in San Antonio to serve this area and the growing international community that was located in Mexico. With the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in the early 1990s and subsequent growth of industry along the Mexico-Texas border, demand for Bates' products quickly outpaced the ability of the San Antonio plant to serve the area. In 1999, a new 110,000 square foot, modernized facility in South San Antonio was built to meet demand for this thriving market.

In 1996, the Specialty Division was officially formed to fill a need that many of Bates' customers had for poly bags, chip-board and other non-corrugated items. This division quickly outgrew its original space in the North Richland Hills plant. In 1999, the Specialty Division moved to its own facility which is in close proximity to the main corrugated container plant.

With demand for its products and services continuing to grow, Bates opened the company's fourth plant in 2004. This plant is located in Longview, Texas and serves primarily the East Texas and Louisiana markets. With approximately 30,000 square feet of operating space and 3 converting machines, this facility is currently the fastest growing of the company's locations.

For over thirty years since its founding in 1963, and with the exception of a few years in the sixties, Bates Container was wholly owned by Warren Bates and Hardy Sanders. In 1995, with the death of Warren Bates, his interest transferred to Hardy & Betty Sanders. After Hardy's death in March of 2003, Bates Container continued as a family-owned business with Betty as the majority owner. Carrying on in their parents' footsteps are Hardy & Betty's children, Mark, the current Chairman of the Board, Marcia and Scott, who now own the company.

Bates currently employs about 200 employees in the Fort Worth area, 60 employees in San Antonio and 15 employees in Longview and surrounding areas.

Bates Container was conceived with the notion that there was a market for innovation, quality, and the very best of service along with the highest level of integrity in all that it does. And, with that notion, Bates has grown to a company of over 275 employees and sales in excess of $93 million in 2007.